Holes In My Brain

The agreement was 55 hours per month.  This month I worked 67 hours.  Not happy.

They changed my schedule from Wednesday, Thursday, Friday to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday which means I only had two days off and then was back to work on Monday.  Again, not happy, but other than quit not much I could do about it.

They have now marked on my schedule that I only work 55 hours, which was always the original agreement.

But even more than the hours, my brain seems to be changing.  I used to have a steel trap that could capture all the minutia needed to work in an office and hold all those numerous details until I could finally release them at the end of the day.  Now there are holes in my trap and I can completely space out entire segments of the day.  I have made mistakes, and some of them have been BIG ones.  I haven't been too busy or too stressed and I even have a check-off list for when I am closing.  No excuses other than I seem to be absent, off who knows where.

I really hope this doesn't mean I have to start looking for toilet cleaning jobs.

Fabulous May

It has been a rough couple of days with pounding wind and rain.  I knew the May we were having was too good to last.  But I am still completely happy with my new workamping job.

Top 10 reasons why this job is SO much better than the Hood:

1) On site manager
2) Hands-on manager
3) Over abundance of workampers
4) Small park
5) 14 hours a week vs. 20 hours at the Hood
6) I can walk to the beach
7) I can walk to a small grocery store and several restaurants
8) Out of the woods and into the SUN
9) Electric and wifi are free
10) People actually come to visit me here!

My son came for Mother's Day and Maria came to visit last week-end.  We had a blast visiting the Tiki Bar and the Roadhouse.

Maria with Margarita at Tiki Bar

Next Stop the Roadhouse

I am hoping for a few more visitors during my summer stint, but even if no one shows up, my first month has been wonderful.

Water World

Today I watched the waves crash upon the sandy shore.

I was once again surprised by the many delights my beach walk had to offer.

I watched the sand imprints of a runner be reclaimed by the ocean's waters.

I watched birds ride waves and dive deep beneath the surface for their meal.

I felt the warm sand on my bare feet and the grit between my toes.

I smelled the saltiness of the water and felt the salt spray upon my face.

I came home and deposited yet more shells and agates upon my outdoor altar.

I ate fresh crab meat and enjoyed the coolness of the day.

After so much time with the Mountains, Woods and Desert, I feel so blessed to be surrounded in this Water energy.

Mother's Day

Ok Mom, I get it.  This is what it must have felt like for you all those times.

 All those times when you were excited about my visit, looking forward to some special event or just the arrival of your children.  And you waited and waited.

You waited because I was off playing somewhere, off living my life knowing that you would be there no matter when I showed up.  I am sure you waited untold hours while dinner grew cold and your excitement started to wane, waiting and waiting.....

Ok, I get it.  Doesn't make it any easier for me as I sit here and wait, or, maybe it does.  For it seems I have the same type of child.

Thank you mother, for always being there no matter when I showed up.  And I bet you are laughing right now.  How many times did you say you hoped that someday I had a child just like me :).

Sky Watching

I am a sky watcher, but usually at night.  Today I looked up at the sky and this is what I saw.  Almost like a faint rainbow forming a complete circle around the sun.

I don't know what made me look up at the sun on this beautiful day but I certainly was not prepared for such a unique vision.

Amazing.  Did anyone else see it???

Cheeseburger In Paradise

Hwy 101 Burger

I wanted a cheeseburger.  I checked Tiki's menu and yes, they do have hamburgers on their menu and since it is a beautiful day for sitting outside I make the trek down the hill to Tiki's.

NOOOOOO!!!  Although their regularly scheduled days of closure are Wednesday and Thursday on this particular Monday they are also closed.  It is late in the day and I haven't eaten anything and now I wonder where to find some food as quickly as possible before I turn into a growly bear.

I start walking towards Mo's (http://www.moschowder.com/) which is famous along the Oregon coast but I just can't bring myself to walk into this very large restaurant that looks to be very busy and crowded.  Dang - where to go????

So I start walking back towards the highway hoping I will find something to my liking.  As I am walking I hear a young man behind me cruising on his skate board and I step to the side to allow him ample room to skate past me.  We share a "hello" and then as he pulls ahead of me he stops at a door.  He opens the door and says "you should come in here for a burger".  Huh???  I look inside the door and it is basically a room in the making of becoming some type of bar or restaurant.  I question what type of establishment this is and he tells me this is the VIP entrance.  OK, I decide to follow along.

I come in through the back way and arrive at Hwy 101 Burger (http://hwy101burger.com/), exactly where I want to be.  I order my burger, no fries, and when I ask if there is outdoor seating they promptly move a table outside for me, which is now the only one out there.

While I am waiting for my burger I am thinking maybe I should have ordered some fries as well, even though I have been eating too much fried seafood lately.  And wouldn't you know it, when my burger arrives they have thrown in some free fries because they think I should really taste how good they are.

The fries were as good as advertised, as was the burger.  But the best part of the day was the beauty of events that made it such a magical day.

Ahhhhh....The Beach

Siletz Bay

Now that the rains have stopped and the days have been delightfully sunny, I have done some exploring around this new town that will be my home for the next several months.   I have also spent a few days walking the beach.

Where The Bay Meets The Ocean

The beach has been crowded with people also walking the beach, burning the driftwood that litters the beach, ocean fishing and a few brave souls braving the frigid waters.

A Pyromaniac's Delight

Ocean Fishing

Only The Young Would Brave These Waters

Today I walked to the Taft District (http://taftbeach.com/) past my favorite bar and then down the ocean way back to the RV park.

New Favorite Bar

Love The Outdoor Seating

I walk down hill to the Taft District and yesterday I walked back up the hill to the RV park.  It is a bit of a climb and it is on a very busy highway so today I thought I would walk back along the ocean.  It was very windy on the beach and the sand made for even more of a workout.  And then I came to this:

 

 

 

 

 

The only way up is to climb the 78 stairs.  But the view from the top is quite spectacular.

Tiny People In the Distance

This looks to be a very good workamping stint; only 55 hours per month, ocean within walking distance, good management and a full crew of fellow workampers. 

If the weather cooperates, it could be almost heaven.

Another Opening, Another Show

I am exhausted.  I only worked five hours today but after not working for 7 months it feels like I have worked a 40 hour week.

Tomorrow I work four hours and then I am off until Wednesday when my job is to help with "clam chowder", whatever that means.  I think it means I ladle clam chowder into bowls for those in the park wanting a free lunch, but you just never know.  Certainly they can't mean I have to make the chowder!

I am here, in Lincoln City, for four and a half months and I still think it will be my easiest workamping job to date.

But for now, my days of total freedom are over and my body is rebelling.